Growing up, we followed the 4 R‘s: reduce, reuse, recycle and Rihanna. Okay, maybe it was only 3 three “R’s,” but who can remember those days for sure.

Our point is that we disposed of our bottles in the correct bins, turned off lights in rooms that weren’t occupied and turned off the water faucet as we brushed our teeth. We felt good doing so and these little tasks made a big difference. For most of us, these habits have followed us into adulthood.

These days, the environmentally-friendly landscape is totally different in an exciting way. With more companies feeling the “green” wave, it’s become easier to make more conscientious decisions that can benefit the planet.

Sometimes it can be a little confusing, and a little frustrating as you are only one person. But that’s all it takes.

Watching our hometown of Long Beach, CA come together for #BYOLBC inspired us to participate in the #ChooseToReuse campaign, too.

Learn how you can improve your eco-friendly practices with the list below and check in with Pure Planet’s best practices.

Ways to Be More Eco-Friendly

Swap out one use-products for something that can be evergreen.

One-use items end up sitting in landfills or even worse, in our oceans. Take a second to think what one-use items can be swapped out for multi-use items.

Here are some ideas:

Use cloth napkins instead of paper ones. After drying your hands or cleaning counters and surfaces, cloth can easily be washed and reused.

Opt for reusable glass or metal containers and utensils for food and drink needs.

Invest in cloth grocery bags instead of plastic or paper bags. Cloth bags can be used over and over again. Buy some and stash in your car.

Re-purpose Pure Planet containers as storage for office stationery, or for holding kitchen, bathroom, and home essentials.

Be more mindful with clothing.

Did you know you could be eco-friendly with clothing? Not many people think about how the industry affects the environment, but keeping with the trends has a heavy cost. Unfortunately, Mother Nature is the one that pays.

So, what exactly does the industry contribute? For starters, clothing is usually made from fabric constructed by crops or animals. That by itself is one big factor. In fact, Huffington Post reports that cotton fields use more chemical pesticides than any other crop!

In addition to creating waste, production and manufacturing can release harmful greenhouse gases.

So, how do you rectify all that? The first step is being more thoughtful in your shopping. Here are some ways to do practice more efficiently:

Head to the thrift shop. Thrifting is a good for two reasons: you can donate your clothes to someone else to use and you can buy used clothing too.

Search online. It’s 2018! There are tons of companies that sell used clothes and even some that rent out clothes for a short time, using the same boxes to and from.

Buy staple pieces. If used clothing doesn’t interest you, make sure to buy clothes you will use for a long period of time.

Cut your meat consumption.

Some experts believe that living a more vegan or vegetarian lifestyle can greatly impact environmental conservation (in addition to the health benefits of veggies and plants). This is because how much the meat industry effects environmental factors such as greenhouse gas emissions and climate change.

In fact,Time suggests that a dietary shift in the food sector could account for a 63% (vegetarian) to 70% (vegan) cut in emissions. That’s major! But it makes sense. After all, Science reports that meat and dairy make up 60% of agriculture’s greenhouse gas emission.

And what’s more? The Independent reports that that the diet could also contribute to less industrialization of wild land due to agriculture, which is a huge factor in the extinction of wildlife.

Going full vegan might not be an option for whatever reason, but you can still be friendly to the cause:

Only buy meats from companies that practice sustainable farming.

Try making one meal a day plant-based.

Meal-prep and/or properly preserve meats to discourage waste.

But if we’re going to ask you take steps, we should at least tell you what we’ve been up to as well.

Plant something!

When you grow ANY plant (for the most part), you are helping clean the environment. Get your hands dirty and reduce pollution and the amount of C02 in our planet’s atmosphere with some natural photosynthesis. Be sure to search the web for tress, vegetables, flowers and other plants that thrive in your local area.

Pure Planet Initiative

Earlier this year, we here at Pure Planet decided to evaluate our own practices.

Saving Water + Cuttings Environmental Damage

You may have noticed that our refreshing blends, like Best of Greens, don’t come mixed in water. That’s a conscious choice on our behalf.

Why?

Well, because shipping water isn’t the most sustainable practice. As the Guardian states,

… the long-term impacts of bottling and transporting water….are doing more damage than we realize

So, we decided to go a different route, with dried powders.

You’ll find that our efficient drying methods allow our products to yield a longer shelf-life, as opposed to if they came pre-mixed with water. Products that last longer are much better for the environment than compared to those that expire quickly. That just contributes to the massive amount of waste that piles up.

Cutting Out Plastic Scoops

A couple of months ago, we decided we could do more. So, we took a small yet necessary step: we took out our plastic scoops, lowering our contributions to waste. It may sound minimal, but it has decreased our footprint and we’re happy about that.